Projects may take longer to deliver, compared to using an iterative methodology such as Agile. Changes due to business plans or market influences may not have been taken into account when planning is all done up front. There may be issues with the flexibility of the model to cater for new developments or changes of requirements which may occur after the initial consultation. This means that they may change their minds once they see the end product, which is difficult to address if the application needs to be re-engineered to any large extent. Many organisations appreciate the attention to documentation right at the beginning, as it also means there should be no surprises with the end product.Ĭlients may find it challenging to conceptualise their needs in terms of a functional specification during the requirements phase. Potential development issues can be researched and tackled in the design stage – and alternative solutions planned – before any programming takes place. Test scenarios are already detailed in the functional specification of the requirements phase, which makes the testing process easier and more transparent.Įven before the software development starts, the design is hammered out in detail which makes the needs and the outcome clear to everyone. This helps reduce any project “slippage” from agreed timescales.Ĭosts can be estimated with a fairly high degree of accuracy once the requirements have been defined. Each step has a clearly defined starting point and conclusion, which makes progress easy to monitor. The phased development cycle enforces discipline. New developers can get up to speed quickly – even during the maintenance phase. Since technical documentation is a necessary part of the initial requirements phase, this means that everyone understands the objectives. What are the pros and cons of Waterfall Development? This approach makes it crucially important that all requirements are meticulously defined from the start, as it might be difficult to revise them later. One of the key differences between the two methodologies is that Waterfall requires everything to be described in written documentation before any code is created. Waterfall is often placed on the opposite end of the software development spectrum to Agile software development. One of them is PRINCE2, which was created by the UK Government and is still held in high regard in the public sector. There are several well-recognised waterfall methodologies. The original Waterfall model consisted of five stages: In other words, we’re not so much looking at one big Niagara Falls, but a series of cascading waterfalls – each with their own little pool of activities. This means that it follows a simple structure of phases where the results of each phase cascade down to the next level of development. We often describe Waterfall as a ‘linear-sequential lifecycle model’. It was first described in a 1970 paper (Dr Winston W Royce), as one of the very first formal software development process models. The Waterfall model has been around for more than 50 years. Here we will look at the Waterfall model in a bit more detail, exploring its advantages and disadvantages. One of the models we discussed was Waterfall Software Development. In a previous blog post we looked at various development models and what makes them different.
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